System for removing air and gases from water



July 31, 1923.

R. N. EHRHART SYSTEM FOR REMOVING AIR AND GASES FROM WATER Filed June 5,1920 amounted Qmmw M Qm m Patented July 31, I923.

RAYMOND N. EHRHART, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO ELLIOTTCOMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

SYSTEM FOR REMOVING AIR, AND GASNS FROM WATER.

Application filed June 6,

v To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RAYMOND N. EHRHART, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Systems ior Removing Air and Gases fromWater, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description,reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming part of .thisspecification, in which: i V

Figure 1 is a diagram showin partly in vertical section and partly in sie elevation one form of apparatus for carrying out my invention, and

Figure 2 is a similar view showing another form of my invention.

My invention has relation tothe treatment of liquid for the removal ofair and other gases therefrom, and more particularly to a method oftreatment such as is atent to described and claimed in the ated No-William S. Elliott No.1,321,999, vember 18, 1919.

lathe method described and claimed insaid Patent No. 1,321,999, theliquid to he treated is heated and is then introduced into an evaporatorin which there is maintained a pressure lower than the pressurecorresponding to the temperature of the liquid immediately before itenters the evaporator. The vapors from the evaporator are passed throughcondenser from which they are exhausted, and the liquid whichiorms thecooling -medium of the condenser passes from thence into the heater.

In my ap lieati-on, Serial No. 386,833 of even date herewith, I haveshown that in many cases is desirable to regulate the condensation rateof the condenser used in connection with such apparatus; and thatinasmuch as the amount of evaporation in the evaporator will depend uponthe amount of condensation in the condenser, that by such regulation theamount of evaporation as well as the drop in temperature between theheater and the evaporator may be controlled within relatively narrowlimits.

ln that application I have disclosed certain means for controlling theoperation of 1920- Serial No. 386,834.

the condenser by controlling the amount of cooling liquid passingthrough the condenser.

I have further discovered that a similar result may be obtained byvarying the capacity of the means used iniexhausting the its capacityfor pumping air by introducing some other fluid into the suction of thepump. For example, if the pum has a capacity for handling a certain voume of air and steam, and other fluid than air be taken into the suctionof the pump, a certain part of the capacity of the pump will be taken upin pumping such steam or other fluid,

and its capacity for pumping .air will, therefore, be diminished.

My invention provides a method and means whereby I take advantage ofthis fact for the eifective regulation of the condenser and thereby ofthe evaporation in a system of the character described.

Referring first to that form of my invention shown in d igure It, 2designates a heater, 3 an evaporator, i a condenser which has an exhaustconnection 5 with the evapora'tor, and 6 the liquid supply system whichis connected with the heater 2 through the condenser. 7 designates apump for withdrawing the treated liquid trom the evaporater. These partsare all arranged substantially as in the said Patent No. 1,321,999.

Thus, if the capacity of the air 8 designates means for exhausting theconmovement of the lever 14 or of the valve 11. If, however, the drop intemperature between the heating chamber and the evaporating chamberbecomes excessive, which means that the amount otvaporizat-ion in theevaporator is also excessive, the lever It will be actuated by thethermostatic devices to open the valve 11 to a corresponding extent andthereby admit steam into the suction of the ejector. This diminishes theair pumping capacity of the ejector in the manner before described,which, in turn, reduces the capacity of the condenser. The evaporationin the evaporator is correspondingly decreased, and this controls thetemperature drop between the heater and the evaporator. In other words,the valve 11 responds to any excessive drop in temperature between theheater and the evaporator, and which drop in temperature is a functionof the amount of'water evaporated which, in turn, is equivalent to theamount of water condensed; and acts to maintain the action of thesystemconstant Within relatively narrow limits.

Rate of evaporation as used throughout the specification and claims isdefinitive of the evaporation of a definite percentage of the totalvolume of liquid being treated irrespective of changes in that volume.

In that form of my invention shown in Figure 2, T utilize the varyingamount of steam condensed in the condenser to efiect a similar controlof the valve which, in turn, controls the amount of steam admitted tothe suction of the ejector.

18 designates a vessel which is arranged to receive the water ofcondensation from the condenser 4 and Which is mounted upon 'mit steaminto the suction of the ejector 8. The efi'ect of this is to diminishthe rate of condensation in the condenser.

raealea Other parts shown in this figure and which are similar tocorresponding parts in Figure 1, are given the same reference charactersas those in F igurefll, with the letter a aflixed thereto.

In the coending application of William S. Elliott, erial No. 158,238,filed March 29th, 1917, there is disclosed and claimed a construction inwhich the percentage of the liquid evaporated is maintainedsubstantially constant by the amount of heat supplied to the heater forthe liquid.

Tn the co-pending application of William s. Elliott, Serial NO. 538,944,filed Febrlr ary 24, 1922, there is disclosed a modified form ofapparatus for accomplishing substantially the same purpose.

It will be understood that the two embodiments of my invention which Ihave herein shown and described are illustrative only and that variousother improvements may be employed for varying the suction of the airexhausting pump to thereby give the desired control.

The specific form of my invention shown in Figure 2 forms the subjectmatter of my divisional application Serial No. 157,596 filed April 1,1921.

I claim:

1. In the treatment of liquid for the re-.-

varying within definite predetermined limits the action of theexhausting means to thereby maintain the rate of evaporationsubstantially constant, substantially as described.

3. In thetreatment of liquid for the re-- moval of air and gasestherefrom, the

method which consists in evaporating the liquid to he treated,exhausting the vapors and gases from the evaporator. through acondenser, and utilizing changes in the evaporation in, the evaporatorto vary the action of the exhausting means to thereby maintain the rateof evaporation within the desired limits,substantially as described.

d. In apparatus of the character described, "the combination of anevaporator, a condenser through which the vapors "from the evaporatorare conducted, an exhaust pump for .the condenser, and means for inthepoint .ofgas offtake on the condenser into the suction chamber of theexhaust pump in order to vary the capacity of said pump, substantiallyas described.

5. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of anevaporator, a condenser through which the vapors from the evaporator areconducted, an exhaust pump for the condenser, and means forautomatically intnoducing a fluid from a source other than the point ofgas ofi'take on the condenser into the suction chamber of the exhaustpump in order to vary the capacity of said pump, substantially asdescribed.

6. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of anevaporator, a condenser through which the vapors from the evaporator areconducted, an exhaust pump for the condenser, and means for introducinga fluid other than that intended to be pumped into the suction chamberof the exhaust pump in order to vary the capacity of said pump, saidmeans being dependent upon the evaporation in the evaporator,substantially as described.

7. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of anevaporator, a condenser, an exhaust pump for drawing the vapors andgases from the'evaporator through the condenser, and means forautomatically varying the capacity of sald pump in accordance with theevaporation in the evaporator, substantially as described.

8. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of a heater,an evaporator having a supply connection with the heater, a condenserconnected to the evaporator, an exhaust pump connected to the condenser,and means dependent on the difference in temperature between the heaterand the evaporator 'for controlling the effective capacity of said pump,substantlallyas described.

9. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of a heater,an evaporator having asupply connection with the heater, a condenserconnected to the evaporator, an exhaust pump connected to the condenser,and means actuated by a variation in temperature between the heater andthe evaporator for admitting a fluid other than the fluid coming fromthe condenser into the suction chamber of the exhaust pump to therebyvary the capacity 0t the evaporation of said portion of the liquid andvarying the action of the exhausting means to thereby maintain thedesired rate of evaporation substantially constant.

11 In the method of treating liquid for the removal of air-and gasestherefrom, the steps consisting in evaporating a small por tion only ofthe liquid being treated, ex?

hausting the'vapors and gases released by the evaporation of saidportion of the li uid, and automatically varying the action 0 theexhausting means to thereby maintain the desired constant.

12. In the method of treating liquid for the removal of air and gasestherefrom, the steps consisting in evaporating a small portion only ofthe liquid being treated, exhausting the vapors and gases released bythe evaporation of said portion of the liquid, and varying the action ofthe exhausting means to vary the quantity of liquid bein evaporated asthe quantity of treatedliqui varies to thereby maintain the desired rateof evaporation.

13. In the method of treating liquid for the removal of air and ases-therefrom, the steps consistingin heating the liquid, passing the sameto an evaporator, and maintaining conditions in the evaporator wherebythe percentage rate of evaporation is substantially constantirrespective of the volume of liquid being treated.

14. In the method of treating liquid for the removal of' air and gasestherefrom, the steps consisting in heating the liquid, passlng'the same.to an evaporator, and automatically maintainin conditions in theevaporator whereby t e percentage rate of evaporation is substantiallyconstant irrespective of the volume of liquid being treated,

15. In the method of treating liquid for pressure and correspondingtemperature changes in the eva orator.

16. In the metho of treating liquid for the removal of air and gasestherefrom, the steps consisting in heating the liquid, passing the sameto an evaporator, withdrawing the releascd vapors and gases from theevaporator, and automatically varying the action of the withdrawingmeans in accordance with pressure and corresponding temperature changesin the eva orator.

17. In the treatment of liqui for the removal of air and gasestherefrom, the method which consists in evaporating a portion of theliquid, exhausting the vapors and gases produced by such evaporation andrate of evaporation substantially neonate automatically positivelyproducing vari automatically positively producing variations in theaction'of the exhausting means. ations in the efiiciency of theexhausting 18. In the treatment of liquid for the remeans. moval of airand gases therefrom, the In testimony whereof I have hereunto :set 6method which consists in evaporating a p01- my handi.

tion of the liquid, exhausting the vapors and gases produced by suchevaporation and RAYMQND N. EHRHART.

